Game journals for board games I engage in, mostly PBEM.
Some journals are updated while the game is ongoing, some afterwards.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Pax Romana 102: Scenario 5 - Turn 1

Michael Gouker is organizing multiplayer games and acting as referee to get people started on this new game, much like what is going on for Here I Stand. Very generous and a great service to the gaming community. I got lucky enough to get into a game.

In this particular game we are playing Scenario 5: The Rise of Rome with the following players:Unless otherwise noted below, assume that the active side performed an expansion move.

Turn 1

Turn 1 starts with the Activation Phase...

Activation Phase

Greece goes first with their Soldier of Fortune Army (representing Pyhrrus).

Major Move: The 3-4 SoF leader moves into Dalmatia and attacks the tribe at Coricum. Despite a fairly serious advantage, he is unable to defeat them and must attack again before eliminating the tribe. The Army settles in Salonae after defeating the tribe.

Minor Move 1: The Greek Garrison at Brundisium cross the sea to Lissa, securing the province of Dalmatia for Greece.

Minor Move 2: The Greek Garrison at Tyre, feeling exposed, attempts to flee back to Asia Minor, but only make it as far as Sidon.

The next AM belongs to The East. They place their initial forces in Palmyra.

Major Move: The 2-6 leader in Palmyra moves to Sidon where they annihilate the Greek garrison. Garrison units are created en route and left in Tripolis and Sidon along with HI units. The remaining Army moves through the Cilician Gates (leave 1HI) and to Seleucia, taking control of Cicilia.

Minor Move 1: Create a Town in Sidon.

Minor Move 2: Create a Town in Tripolis.

The next AM belongs to Carthage, who draw the Barbarian Invasion card and the Eastern Gauls enter play. Carthage intercedes with the Gauls and they attack Tribes in Melta, destroying them, and denting the strength of the Tribe in Naissus.

Then Carthage makes an expansion move of her own.

Major Move: Activate the 2-5 leader in Carthage. He moves to Thevestis to pick up the cavalry unit there, then boards ships and sets sail for Hispania. They are blown off-course en route, but manage to regroup themselves and end their move in Gades (Baetica).

Minor Move 1: The LI at Cirta moves to Hippo Regius

Minor Move 2: 1LI in Lilybaeum returns to Carthage to defend the city.

Rome has the next AM, and draws the Pirates card, placing Pirates on the NTP North of Messana. Rome also donates 3T to the Greek treasury.

Major Move: The 2-4 leader in Rome moves with 3 legions and a Garrison unit. Their first move is to Capua where a Legion is dropped off. From there they move to Pisae where the Garrison is dropped off. The remaining 2 legions board ships at Pisae and sail to Massilia, where they eliminate a Greek Garrison.

Minor Move 1: Activate 1 LG in Placentia and move it to Arretium.

Minor Move 2: Activate 1 LG in Placentia and move it to Massilia to join the 2-4 leader.

The initial AMs having been used, the first random AM drawn is Carthage.

Major Move: Activate the 2-5 leader at Gades and his Army. They move to attack the Barbarians in Emerita Augusta, it takes two attacks to destroy the tribe, but in the end, Carthage is in control of Lusitania (although they lose control of Baetica when the Army leaves Gades). An LI is broken down into Garrisons, which are left behind in Emerita Augusta before the main force moves on to Salamantica.

Minor Move 1: Build a town in Emerita Augusta.

Minor Move 2: Activate a Galley in Carthage and move it to Aleria in Corsica.

The next AM drawn is for Greece. They pay Carthage 2T for their help with the Eastern Gauls before making their move.

Major Move: Fearful of The East's intentions and hoping to impress on them the need for peaceful co-operation, the Soldier of Fortune Army embarks ships in the Danube and sails all the way to Asia Minor before debarking and moving overland to Iconium.

Minor Move 1: An HI in Nicomedia is activated, but is not able to gain enough movement points to actually go anywhere.

Minor Move 2: Corinth is converted into a city.

The next AM is for The East and they are greeted with news of a Slave Revolt, which breaks out in The Fayum.

Major Move: The 2-5 leader in Alexandria is activated and Attacks the slaves, defeating them after two assaults. and returning to Alexandria.

Minor Move 1: LI in Damascus hobbles into Tyre after a grueling trek across the desert.

Minor Move 2: The LI in Memphis barely makes it to Pelusium.

The East is up again. Revenues and Stability is drawn, but has no effect.

Major Move: The 2-6 leader in Asia Minor is activated. He creates some Garrison units from his light infantry, then moves off, leaving a Garrison behind in Tarsus and Melitene before moving further into Cappadocia. Heavy Infantry is broken down to create more Garrisons, two of which are dropped in Nicopolis before the remainder of the Army settles in Sebastia.

Minor Move 1: One of the garrison units in Nicopolis moves further, into Trapezus.

Minor Move 2: The LI in Tyre moves to Jerusalem.

Rome draws the next AM.

Major Move: The 1-5 leader and garrison in Placentia move to Arretium where they pick up a Legion, which is moved to Pisae before being dropped off. The rest continue on to Bovianum where the Garrison is dropped off, while the leader and Legion end the turn in Rome.

Minor Move 1: The Legion in Capua sallies forth to destroy the Greek Garrison in Venusia before returning to Capua.

Minor Move 2: The Legion in Rome activates, but goes nowhere.

Greece is up next and Hunger and Famine in Greece impacts the stability of that country.

Minor Move 1: The LI in Iconium moves to Nicomedia.

Major Move: The SoF Activates and counter marches from Asia Minor to Serdicca in Thrace.

Minor Move 2: The SoF is joined in Serdicca by the Garrison from Ancyra.

Greece loses control of Galatia ahead of the advancing East further impacting her stability. Greece is now in Unrest.Rome has the next AM.

Major Move: 1-5 leader and Legion in Rome move on Tarentum. The Greek LI and Cav abandon the City and Greece cedes control to Rome without bloodshed. (There was a lot of discussion about the legality of this. It was decided that it was not actually legal without play of an Alliance card, but due to the misundertanding that made it seem like it would be legal, was quite fairly allowed to stand in this game.)

Minor Move 1: Create a town in Pisae.

Minor Move 2: Create a town in Bovianum.

The next AM is for Carthage. Successor Wars break out in Greece, but have little impact as the unit selected to return to Greece (Cav in Bovianum) is unable to gain enough MP to actually move.

Minor Move 1: The garrison at Emerita Augusta return to Gades, regaining control of Baetica.

Major Move: Activate the 2-5 leader and attack the tribe in Brigantium (Gallaecia) which puts up a tremendous fight against Carthage's first assault, but is unable to withstand the second wave. The Carthaginians retire to Bergidum to rest after the campaign.

Minor Move 2: While in Bergidum, they found a new town for Carthage.

The next AM is for Carthage also, their final move of the turn. They bring news of a Local Insurrection which eliminates the lonely Greek Garrison in Emporiae.

Major Move: The 1-4 leader in Lilybaeum activates with an LI. They return to Africa where they pick up some additional Light Infantry from Hippo Regius which is moved to Utica and dropped off. The rest of the force continues to Melita, where the LI is broken down into Garrison units, one of which is left behind to control Melita. The remaining force returns to Lilybaeum.

Minor Move 1: Create city in Bergidum.

Minor Move 2: Create city in Lilybaeum.

The next actvation is for The East.

Major Move: Activate 2-6 leader in Sebastia. He and his remaining force move to Nicopolis and Trapezus to pick up garrison units before moving on to Iconium to take control of Galatia.

Minor Move 1: Garrison in Tarsus moves to Side to take control of Lycia.

Minor Move 2: Create city in Antioch.

Greece's final activation is next.

Major Move: The SoF and his Army look to subdue the remaining tribes in Moesia Superior. They attack the remnants of the Tribe in Taisus (2BP), defeating them easily. They then move off to Ulpianum to attack the tribe there (4BP) defeating them also quite easily. The SoF Army moves to Lissa where it ends its turn and its employment.

Minor Move 1: Garrison in Serdicca moves to Naissus to control Moesia Superior.

Minor Move 2: Build a city in Pella

Rome has the final activation of the turn.

Major Move: The 2-4 leader and 3 LG in Massilia activate and move to Nematusus to attack the tribe (4BP). It takes two assaults to defeat the Tribe and the Roman leader is killed in battle. Afterwards, one of the legions moves to Narbo and ends the turn there.